Improvement in elevators



2 Sheets-Sheet, 1

G. W. BALDWIN. ELEVATOR.

Patented Nov. 15, 1870. v

THE NORRIS PETERS ca. Puamumoywunmomu, o. c.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G W. BALDWIN. ELEVATOR.

No.-10'9,169 Patented Nov. .15, 1870.

CYRUS W. BALDWIN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

Letters Patent No. 109,169, dated November 15. 1870.

. IMPROVEMENT IN ELEVATORS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making par: of thesame To all to whom-these presents shall come:

Be it known that I, OYnUs'W. BALDWIN, 'of Boston, in the county ofSuffolk and State of Massachusetts, have made an invention of certainnew and useful Improvements in Elevators for Buildings, &o.; and dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, duc reference being had to the accompanying drawing making partof this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view ofmy invention;

Figure 2 is an under-side view of the platform of the device andsimplifying its construction, but to vastly simplify its operation, orthe number of movements before necessary to release the locking orsafetydevice.

'The construct-ion and arrangement of parts which secure the aboveresults also serve to cause the looking device to set itselfautomatically upon ascent of the elorator-carriage, being, in thisrespect, a great improvement upon the construction shown in LettersPatent before mentioned.

The invention or improvement also relates to means for providing againstaccidental fall of the platform of the carriage, should the cross-heador other portion of such carriage to which is usually applied the safetydevice or stop.

As heretofore constructed the safety device or stop ofelevator-carriages has been applied to the crosshead, or other portionof the carriage diposed above its platibrm. Uonscquently, upon breakingof any portion of the carriage above its platform, the safety devicebecomes useless, and the platform is allowed to descend unchecked to thefloor, with the usual fatal results to life and property.

To provide a means of remedying this latter objec tion, my inventionconsists in applying the safety device hereafterexplained to the underside of the platform; consequently the fracture or failure of anyportion of the carriage cannot destroy the action of such device.

My present invention further consists in disposing loosely, withincertain clas'ps or recessed brackets atfixed to the lower surface of theplatform of the clevator-carriage, and embracing opposite sides of itssupporting-slides or guides, two fluted or roughened rollers or circulardisks, these rollers resting upon and being retained in place within thebracket and upon one side of the slide by means of two tripping leverssecured to a horizontal shaft extending transversely across the underside of the platform, the shaft being in turn cont-rolled and actuatedby a spring and by a pallet'and lever, as hereinafter explained, and thewhole being so arranged and operating that, upon fracture of thesupporting-rope or chain of the carriage, the free ends of thetripping-levers before mentioned shall rise with a sudden snap, andthrow the rollers upward and between the clasp and supportingslides,between which they become tightly wedged,

and so as to lock the carriage or its platform tightly to such slides.

In the drawing before alluded to as accompanying this specification-- AAdenote two upright beams or posts for supporting the elevating-carriage,the slides or ways for guiding the vertical movements of such carriagebeing shown at b I), as applied to opposite inner faces of the posts inthe usual manner.

The cross-head of the elevator-carriage is shown at c and its platformat d, the posts or rods connecting the two being shown at e o.

The extremities of the cross-head straddle the slides b I), while thelower surface of the opposite sides of the platform (Z is provided withtwin-shaped strong recessed brackets or clasps, ff, a portion, g, of therecessions of such brackets serving to embrace the slides, while thelower and larger port-ion h of such depression or groove serves toreceive a fluted roller, i or i, which is disposed loosely within it,the said portion It being open at bottom, as represented in Figure 5 ofthe accompanying drawing.

By referrring to such figure the reader will see that the portion it ofthe recess of the brackets is angular, or slightly converging at itsupper part, and of such size that this upper part,'with the slide 1)iuclosed, shall be of somewhat less diameter than that of the flutedrollcr;'hence, it will be obvious that, as this roller is suddenlyforced upward and caught between the boundary of the opening 71 and theslide b, the descent of the platform serves to wedge or force the rollertightly between such parts, and clamp the brackets, and consequently theplatform, securely to the slides, and instantly arrest any furtherdescent of said platform.

The rollers t or i rest upon the free ends j of two tripping-levers, 7t7a, which are fixed to opposite ends of a horizontal rocker-shaft orrod, 1, extending trans vcrsely of the under side of the platform at,and supported in suitable boxes, an an, applied thereto, aeoiled orother spring, a, being suitably applied to the shaft, in such manner asto maintain the free ends of the levers 7t it in contact with the lowersurface of the brackctsff, and so as to cover the lower opening of therecess h and prevent escape of the rollers therefrom.

One of the levers or trippers, h, is provided with a small notchedprojection, 0, this notch being for reception of the free endp of aright-angular bent pawl or trigger, q, fulcrumc'd to the outer face ofone of the brackets, f, and immediately in rear of its roller rccess,the upper arm 0' of such pawl being pivoted to the lower end of aconnecting-rod, s, which extends up alo ngside of one of the posts 0 ofthe elevator-carriage, the opposite end of such rod in turn beingpivoted to the outer extremity of the longer arm 1? of a lever, '11,which is fulerumcd to the fronttace ot' the cross-head c of thecarriage, as represented.

The extremity of the shorter arm of the lever 11 is extended to thecenter of the cross-head c, where it supports upon its upper surface abracket or bent support, 1r, such bracket being depressed by a coiled orother spring, :c, disposed within or upon the upper part of thecross-head, a bolt, y, having upon its upper extremity an eye, beingextended through the cross-head and screwing into the lower partof thebracket 11', as shown in tig. 4 of the drawing.

A rope or chain, c, is to be secured to the eye of the bolt 3 and thencecarried to the hoisting mechanism in the usual manner;

The above constitutes the mechanical construction of my invention, theoperation of which may be thus :xplained:

The weightof the elcva'.or-carriage, with or without the load, forcesupward the bracket 10, and away from contact with the lever u, and thusremains during the ordinary working of the elevator-carriage.

To adjust the safety device covered by my invention so as to prepare foraccidents, the tripping-levers are to be depressed sutlicicntly far toallow the lower and free end of the trigger to be inserted within thenotch before alluded to as formed in one of them.

The spring of the shalt 1 serves to retain the trigger in contact withthe notch at all times during the rise and descent of the carriage,until accidental t'racturc or slacking of the rope from any causeensues.

The slacking of the rope has the cfiect of instantly allowing thebracket 11-, by means of its spring, to be depressed, this lowering ofthe bracket having the ctfect of raising the outer arm of the lever 14,and, by means of the rod 8, release the trigger from contact with thenotch ot' the tripping-lever, and permit the spring of the rocker-shaftto elevate the levers with a sudden snap, and throw the rollers upwardbetween their respective brackets and the slides I) I), in inaliner andwith results before explained.

The above description of the nature and operation of my invention willenable mechanics to construct and explain it, it being remarked that, toadjust the safety device for use, the tripping-levers are to bedepressed by hand, and the trigger q inserted within the notch of one ofthem. On releasing the hold of the lever the springof the shaft 1 servesto maintain the contact of the trigger and lever until fracture of thesumaorting-ropc or chain.

In order to dispense with the necessity of thus setting the safetydevice, and enable such setting to be I pivot the lower ends of the rods8 directly to one of the trippinglevers k, as shown in fig. 5 of theaccompanying drawing, which is a side elevation of one of such leversand the parts immediately contiguous thereto, it being understood thatthe spring a of the shalt I is dispensed with in this instance.

liy thus pivoting the rods to the lever it will be obvious that, as thebracket is drawn up ard, wit-h respect to the cross-head, by the weightot'thc carriage, as the rope is drawn tautthe lovers k 71; drop by theirown gravity and that of the rod 8, thus allowing the rollers it in likemanner to fall with them, and rc lease the grip of the carriage upon itssupporting ways. 7 W

l have contemplated the application of the principle ot'l my presentinvention to elevators formerly constructed, in which toothed racks andtwo bent levers, opera-t ed by a send-elliptic spring, and provided withlateral bolts for taking into the teeth before mentioned upon breakageof the rope, were the means employed for arresting the accidentaldescent of the carriage.

As so constructed, the supporting-rope is at all times connected to theeye-bolt, and, consequently, to the safety device, and thus is liable,by being caught and drawn taut accidentally at any time after thebreakage or release thereof, to releascthe hold of the bolts upon theracks, and start the carriage again upon its illegitimate descent.

.By means of my present invention, applied to such old construction ofparts, the hold of the rope is at once entirely released from connectionwith the safety locking device upon breakage or slackening of such rope,and, consequently, such device retains an undisturbed hold of thesupporting-slides ot' the carriage.

Claims.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentot theUnited Statesl. The safety-catch or locking device, applied to the lowerpart of the carriage-platform of the elevator, substantially in themanner and for the purposes shown and set forth.

2. As a safety device, for arresting .the accidental fall of anelevator-carriage, the employment of the fluted rollers t '1',operating, in connection with the recessed brackets'fj" or theirequivalents, to embrace opposite sides of, and clasp or clamp thesupportingslides or guides of such carriage, in manner and operatingsubstantially as before explained.

3. As a means of actuating or raising the rollers it, as well as forminga support to the same, the employment of the tripping-levers 7a k,supported by shaft], and operated by the bracket w or its eqnivaalent,essentially in manner as herein shown and explained.

t Thc combination and arrangement of the rollers it, levers It 7:,(supported by the shaft 1, provided withthc spring 11,) trigger q, levera, and bracket '10, the trigger q being connected with the lever u bythe rod 8, and the bracket 20 provided with the spring x, and the wholeoperating, in connection with the recessed brackets f f and the slidesb, in manner and for the purpose as before explained.

CYRUS W. BALDWIN.

Witnesses:

FRED. CURTIS, EDWARD GRIFFITH.

